Let’s begin our study of the truth of God’s word, the Holy Scriptures, with a look at the Creator Himself. We could start by considering many of God’s characteristics or attributes. For example, God is a God of love, wisdom and justice. He’s also a God of mercy and long suffering. The Bible also speaks of His holiness and perfection.
But in addition to these things, we want to consider another fundamental thing about our Creator: His Name. What is God’s name? Is it “God?” Is it “Lord?” What about “Jehovah?”
Why are we beginning our study by considering God’s Name? Simply because a name is part of a person’s unique identity; it’s literally part of that person, and helps to distinguish that person from others. That’s especially true when it comes to God Himself. His Name identifies who He is. And He has revealed that Name in the Hebrew language, the language in which most of the Bible was originally written.
Unlike English Names, which really convey little or no meaning, Hebrew names have very significant meanings. We’re going to find out just how much as we discuss our Creator’s Name.
I want to be perfectly clear on this point: knowing the Name of our Creator does matter, and to Him, it matters a lot. How do we know that? Because Romans 9:17 says the very reason He freed the Israelites from the bonds of slavery after a series of mighty miracles was just so that the world would know His name…
(Romans 9:17 [KJV])
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
That’s how important God’s name is to Him. And here’s another important point to consider: God has a unique Name that sets Him apart from all other false gods in the universe.
Is God’s name really “God?” Which god do you worship --- God? Sound a little silly? Not any more silly than thinking our Creator wouldn’t have a unique name that sets Him apart from the rest of the false gods of the universe. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:5 that the world is full of gods and lords, so neither “God” nor “Lord” can possibly be His name. Otherwise, we wouldn’t worship a God who stands apart from the crowd.
Surely, “Jehovah” must be His name then. After all, preachers, scholars and an entire religious denomination use the name “Jehovah” regularly. But, that’s not His name either. We’ll get back to this in more detail later, but first…
Turn with me to the book of Exodus, chapter 3. In this chapter, Moses learns that he has been given a huge task to perform for God. He is being commissioned to appear before Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt as God delivers them from slavery.
At first, Moses protests. He feels so inadequate for the task. When he is reassured that God will be with him, Moses asks about God’s Name, saying he will need to tell Pharaoh the name of the Deity that is sending him to them. In reply, God tells Moses two things: first, the meaning of His Name in verse 14, and second, His actual Name in verse 15. Let’s look at these two verses. First, the meaning of God’s Name in Exodus 3:14…
(Exodus 3:14 [KJV])
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
We read in Exodus 3:14 that the meaning of God’s Name is “I AM.” The term “I AM” denotes timeless existence. In other words, God simply exists. He is eternal, or self-existent, and as such, He has always existed and always will exist. That means that God existed in the past, He exists in the present, and He will continue to exist in the future.
We need to keep in mind that this Old Testament passage was originally written in Hebrew. Therefore, the Hebrew word for God’s Name will be a Hebrew word that conveys the meaning of timeless existence or eternity. We discover this fact when we do a study of the Hebrew by using a lexicon that reveals original Biblical word meanings.
Strong’s Concordance, which includes a lexicon of Hebrew word meanings, lists the meaning of the phrase “I AM” that appears twice here in Exodus 3:14. The Hebrew word here is hayah, which means “to exist,” or ”to be.”
Therefore, God’s Name, as it was originally written in the Hebrew language, conveys the meaning of eternal existence. In fact, one popular Bible translation refers to God as “the Eternal.” However, that’s not His Name; it’s only a title that refers to His eternal existence.
After telling Moses the meaning of His Name in Exodus 3:14, God then reveals His actual Name to Moses in verse 15…
(Exodus 3:15 [KJV])
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
But His Name isn’t “the LORD” like you see here and in most English Bibles. Modern Bible translators have rendered the Divine Name as “the LORD,” not only in this verse, but in countless other verses throughout the Bible.
